Test your rugby IQ!

Super 14 chart topper: Mitchell

As we fast-approach the end of 2010 and welcome a much anticipated World Cup year ahead, it's time to put that rugby brain to the test!

Unless you've been living in a cave, you should be able to get most of the questions from events that took place over the past 12 months. After that, we're hoping it gets a bit more tricky though. We've opened the vault and searched a bit deeper to really quiz that rugby IQ of yours!

2010 questionnaire!

1. Which country broke the record of consecutive international wins?

2. Who was the highest points scorer in the Six Nations?

3. How many tries were scored in the fifteen Six Nations games played?

4. How many Grand Slams have France won in all, following their success this year?

5. Clermont finally won the Top 14 title after how many attempts in previous finals?

6. Which position did Australia finish in the 2009/2010 IRB Sevens World Series?

7. How many Super 14 games did the Lions win?

8. Who topped the Super 14 try-scoring charts this year?

9. The Bulls were crowned Super Rugby champions for a third time in which stadium?

10. Who became Wales' youngest ever player to represent the country?

11. How many weeks was Bok lock Bakkies Botha banned for in total this year?

12. Who scored the opening try of the 2010 Tri-Nations series?

13. Who scored the last try of the 2010 Tri-Nations series?

14. How many tries were scores in this year's Tri-Nations?

15. How many Grand Slam tours have the All Blacks now completed?

16. Whilst Ireland's famous stadium Lansdowne Road was being renovated, where were their home Tests played?

17. Who are the Currie Cup champions?

18. Who are the Guinness/Aviva Premiership defending champions?

19. Who are the Magners League defending champs?

20. Who are the ITM Cup champions?

Answers:

1. Lithuania, 2. Stephen Jones (Wales; 63), 3. 48, 4. Nine, 5. 11, 6. 3rd, 7. Zero, 8. Joe Rokocoko (Blues, nine); Drew Mitchell (Waratahs, nine), 9. Orlando Stadium in Soweto, 10. Tom Prydie (18 years and 25 days), 11. 13, 12. Conrad Smith (New Zealand), 13. Kieran Read (New Zealand), 14. 52, 15. Four, 16.Croke Park, 17. The Sharks, 18. Leicester, 19. Ospreys, 20. Canterbury

Brain teasers!

1. Whose career path is this? Wellington, Hurricanes, Toulon, Ospreys.

2. Who was the first man to represent two different countries at two different World Cups?

3. Who was the first player to appear in four World Cups?

4. Which referee handled the whistle in two World Cups finals?

5. Which player ended top try-scorer at two RWC's?

6. Who became the first player to play in five RWC's in France this year?

7. What makes Namibia's Rudi van Vuuren unique in RWC history?

8. Three players were sent off in the battle of Boet Erasmus between South Africa and Canada in Port Elizabeth in 1995, can you name them?

9. Which player scored the opening tries of both the 1987 and 1991 RWC's?

10. What other WC final was held at the Stade de France?

11. Who are the two South African players to have played in 3 RWC's?

12. Who was the all time leading point scorer in RWC's?

13. Who refereed the first RWC final between New Zealand and France in 1987?

14. When was the International Rugby Board (IRB) founded?

15. Who was the captain of New Zealand's World Cup-winning team?

16. Who was the captain of Australia's 1991 World Cup-winning team?

17. Who was the captain of Australia's '99 World Cup-winning team?

18. Stephen Larkham, Australia's retired fly-half and a legend in his own right: what is his nickname?

19. Who is famous for that tackle on Jeff Wilson? (If you know anything about rugby then that's all the information you need)

20. What is the name of the annual trophy that is contested by England and Scotland in the Six Nations?

21. What momentous decision was taken by the International Rugby Board on 26th August 1995?

22. Bok prop Jannie du Plessis has qualified in what field of study?

23. When did a try become five points?

24. How many tries has Jonah Lomu scored against South Africa in his career?

25. Who was the first South African to score with a try, a conversion, a penalty and a drop kick in a Test?

26. Which English club did Joel Stransky play for and then later coach at?

27. Which Italian club did Naas Botha play for?

28. To whom is the Tom French trophy awarded in New Zealand rugby?

29. How many tries were scored by Australia in the 1999 World Cup Final?

30. How many backline players may join the scrum during a pushover try?

31. Who holds the record for the most drop goals in a Test match career?

32. What year did the Five Nations turn to Six Nations?

33. Who scored the last try of the millennium and the first try of the next millennium (1999/2000)?

34. Where did Wales play before the Millennium Stadium?

35. Which team deprived England of a Grand Slam in 2000?

36. What is the rugby emblem of Fiji?

37. Who did John Smit debut as Springbok captain against?

38. Who was the first Springbok to be sent off in a Test match?

39. What is the maximum size of a rugby field?

40. How many points was a try worth when rugby first started?

41. Who were the finalists in the Rugby World Cup in 1991?

42. Which Springbok holds the record for the most tests as a replacement?

43. The Crusaders defeated the Waratahs in the 2002 Super 12, what was the score?

Answers:

1. Jerry Collins, 2. Frank Bunce (Represented Western Samoa in 1991 and New Zealand in 1995), 3. Gareth Reece (Represented Canada in the 1987, '91, '95, and '99), 4. Andre Watson (Refereed the '99 and '03 finals), 5. Jonah Lomu (Scored 7 tries in 1995 and 8 tries in 1999), 6. Brian Lima, 7. He is only the person to have played in both the rugby and cricket World Cups, 8. James Dalton (SA), Gareth Reese and Rod Snow (Canada), 9. Michael Jones of New Zealand, 10. Soccer (1998 the FIFA world cup final in which France defeated Brazil also took place at this venue), 11. Joost van der Westhuizen and Os du Randt, 12. Gavin Hastings (who has scored 227 points), 13. Kerry Fitzgerald of Australia, 14. 1886, 15. David Kirk, 16. Nick Farr Jones, 17. John Eales, 18. Bernie, 19. George Gregan, 20. Calcutta Cup, 21. They allowed the game to turn professional, 22. Medicine, 23. 1992, 24. None, 25. Joel Stransky, 26. Leicester, 27. Rovigo, 28. Most Outstanding Maori Player of the Year, 29. Two, 30. None, 31. Jonny Wilkinson, 32. 2000, 33. Breyton Paulse, 34. Cardiff Arms Park, 35. Scotland, 36. A Palm tree on an island, 37. Georgia, 38. James Small, 39. 100 x 70 metres, 40. One, 41. England and Australia, 42. Ollie le Roux, 43. 96-13.